Study: Proposed copper mine won't harm popular Montana river

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Donny Ferguson 🗽 Retweeted

This is huge news.

The @MTDEQ (which is under Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock) concludes the Black Butte Copper Project will have "no impact to water quality, air quality or aquatic life."

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/study-proposed-copper-mine-wont-harm-popular-montana-river … #mtpol #mtnews #mtleg

Link to tweet

Study: Proposed copper mine won't harm popular Montana river
by The Associated PressMonday, March 11th 2019

HELENA, Mont. — Montana officials say a new environmental analysis has found that a proposed copper mine would cause no harm to a river popular for its scenery and trout fishing.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality released its draft environmental impact statement of the Black Butte Copper Project for public comment on Monday.

The proposed copper mine on 1,888 acres of private land outside White Sulphur Springs would extract 15.3 million tons of rock over 15 years.

Conservation groups worry about potential pollution into a tributary of the Smith River, which is so popular with boaters that a lottery is held each year to issue permits.

DEQ Director Shaun McGrath says environmental officials studied the mine's potential effects to the river. He says the analysis found no impacts to water quality, air quality or aquatic life.